Privacy-based content tracker

Abstract

A computing device is configured to generate a content reference for content displayed on a webpage. An encrypted reference is generated for the content reference. The content is provided, with the content reference, to a client device. A website is provided for the client device upon selection of the content by a user input on the webpage. The website includes an offering and related offerings associated with the content. In accordance with a web action received from the website, a logical table is updated with an entry associated with the encrypted reference. The update may be associated with a credit or a charge based at least in part on the web action for the offering or the related offerings.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A system, comprising:
 at least one processor; and 
 memory including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to: 
 generate a content identifier (ID) and a reference link for displayed content, the reference link referencing an offering; 
 generate a hash ID for the content ID using a hashing algorithm; 
 associate the content ID and the hash ID with a cell of an individual static logical column and with cells of a plurality of dynamic logical columns in a logical table; 
 detect at least one user interaction with the reference link from the client device; 
 in response to detecting the at least one user interaction with the reference link from the client device, provide the offering and one or more related offerings to a client device; 
 determine, in response to the activation of the reference link, a web action associated with the offering or the one or more related offerings; 
 update the plurality of dynamic logical columns in the logical table with information associated with the web action taken with respect to at least one of the offering or the one or more related offerings, the information referenced by the hash ID; and 
 provide a charge or a credit to a content provider associated with the content based at least in part on the information from the update. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions when executed further cause the system to:
 receive a notification that the content is selected on the client device; and 
 provide products related to the content for purchasing via an electronic marketplace. 
 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions when executed further cause the system to:
 determine the content in accordance with a product available for securing from an electronic marketplace; 
 monitor that the action is for securing the product referenced in the offering; and 
 associate the charge, in the logical table, to the content provider. 
 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions when executed further cause the system to:
 determine the content in accordance with a first product available for securing from the offering in an electronic marketplace; 
 monitor that the action corresponds to an action to secure a second product in the one or more related offerings; and 
 associate the credit, in the logical table, to the content provider. 
 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions when executed further cause the system to:
 monitor that the action is for securing a product associated with the offering; and 
 update the logical table with information associated with the credit or the charge and the content provider associated with the content ID. 
 
     
     
       6. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
 generating, using a processor, an encrypted reference for a reference; 
 generating, using the processor, a reference link associated with the reference; 
 associating the encrypted reference with a cell of an individual static logical column and with cells of a plurality of dynamic logical columns in a logical table; 
 providing information associated with the reference to a client device; 
 detecting at least one user interaction with the reference link; 
 in response to detecting the at least one user interaction with the reference link, providing an offering and one or more related offerings associated with the information to the client device; 
 determining, in response to the activation of the reference link, a web action associated with the offering or the one or more related offerings; and 
 updating, using the processor, the plurality of dynamic logical columns in the logical table with an entry associated with the encrypted reference and associated with a credit or a charge based at least in part on the web action taken with respect to at least one of the offering or the one or more related offerings. 
 
     
     
       7. The computer-implemented method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 determining that the information associated with the reference is selected by a user of the client device; 
 determining product information associated with the reference to provide to the client device as part of a website comprising the offering and the one or more related offerings; 
 providing an option to secure a product associated with the product information from the website as part of the offering; and 
 in response to selection of the option, updating the logical table with information for the credit or the charge associated with the encrypted reference. 
 
     
     
       8. The computer-implemented method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 providing a bidding option to advertisers associated with products for securing via the offering or the one or more related offerings on a website, the bidding option to determine placement of the information associated with the reference on a webpage; 
 receiving bids associated with the placement of the information associated with the reference on the webpage; 
 ranking the advertisers in accordance with the bids; 
 providing, for electronic publishing with the webpage, a respective content associated with an individual advertiser from the ranking of the advertisers based at least in part on a predetermined criterion. 
 
     
     
       9. The computer-implemented method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 modifying the ranking of the advertisers in accordance with the action. 
 
     
     
       10. The computer-implemented method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 modifying a respective bid to increase a ranking of a first advertiser when the action is associated with securing of a product from a second advertiser. 
 
     
     
       11. The computer-implemented method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 modifying a respective bid to decrease a ranking of a first advertiser when the action is associated with securing of a product from a second advertiser. 
 
     
     
       12. The computer-implemented method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 assigning membership values based at least in part on membership features between the advertisers and the website; 
 performing: (a) a first pattern recognition using the membership values and an estimated or a historical profit for a group of impressions, (b) a second pattern recognition using the membership values and an estimated or a historical advertisement revenue for the group of impressions, and (c) a third pattern recognition using the membership values and an estimated or a historical credit or charge for the group of impressions; 
 determining a bid value for an individual advertiser of the advertisers based at least in part on the first pattern recognition, the second pattern recognition, and the third pattern recognition, the bid value comprising (a) a predicted profit, (b) a predicted advertisement revenue, and (c) a predicted credit or charge; and 
 providing the bid value with the bidding option for at least the individual advertiser of the advertisers. 
 
     
     
       13. The computer-implemented method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 applying a hashing algorithm to the reference, the reference comprising alphabets, numerals, or alphanumeric values, the hashing algorithm providing the encrypted reference as output. 
 
     
     
       14. The computer-implemented method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 receiving the reference that is associated with an advertisement; 
 generating a temporary encrypted reference from the reference using a hashing algorithm; 
 determining an association of the temporary encrypted reference and the encrypted reference; 
 receiving information indicative that the action resulted in securing of a product associated with the reference; 
 dynamically changing contents of cells associated with the encrypted reference within the plurality of dynamic logical columns to reflect the credit or the charge; 
 dynamically changing a bid value associated with the advertisement in accordance with the dynamically changing contents; and 
 providing the advertisement as the information associated with the reference in a webpage. 
 
     
     
       15. The computer-implemented method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 associating content references with cells of an individual logical column in the logical table, the content references associated with advertisements; 
 receiving sales information for a product; 
 identifying an individual content reference from the content references that is associated with an individual advertisement for the product or an advertiser of the product; 
 associating the sales information with the individual content reference; 
 applying a hashing algorithm to the individual content reference to generate an individual encrypted reference; 
 determining that the individual encrypted reference is associated with the encrypted reference; and 
 associating the credit or the charge to the advertiser or against the product in accordance with the action by providing an entry that is associated with the encrypted reference in the logical table or a related logical table. 
 
     
     
       16. The computer-implemented method of  claim 15 , wherein the association of the credit or the charge is: (a) the credit when the action is to secure the product or (b) the charge when the action is to secure a related product associated with a related advertiser. 
     
     
       17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing system, cause the computing system to:
 generate an encrypted reference for a content reference; 
 generate a reference link associated with the content reference: 
 associate the encrypted reference with a cell of an individual static logical column and with cells of a plurality of dynamic logical columns in a logical table; 
 provide content associated with the content reference to a client device; 
 detect at least one user interaction with the reference link; 
 in response to detecting the at least one user interaction with the reference link, provide an offering and one or more related offerings associated with the content; 
 determine, in response to the activation of the reference link, a web action associated with the offering or the one or more related offerings; 
 in accordance with the web action taken with respect to at least one of the offering or the one or more related offerings, update the plurality of dynamic logical columns in the logical table with information associated with the encrypted reference, the updating associated with a credit or a charge based at least in part on the web action. 
 
     
     
       18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 17 , wherein the instructions when executed further cause the computing system to:
 determine that the content is selected by a user of the client device; 
 determine product information associated with the content to provide to the client device as part of a website; 
 provide an option to secure a product associated with the product information from the website as part of the offering; and 
 in response to selection of the option, update the logical table with information for the credit or the charge associated with the encrypted reference. 
 
     
     
       19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 17 , wherein the instructions when executed further cause the computing system to:
 provide a bidding option to advertisers associated with products for securing via the offering or the one or more related offerings, the bidding option to determine placement of the content on a webpage; 
 receive bids associated with the placement of the content on the webpage; 
 rank the advertisers in accordance with the bids; 
 provide, for electronic publishing with the webpage, a respective content associated with an individual advertiser from the ranking of the advertisers based at least in part on a predetermined criterion. 
 
     
     
       20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 17 , wherein the instructions when executed further cause the computing system to:
 apply a hashing algorithm to the content reference, the content reference comprising alphabets, numerals, or alphanumeric values, the hashing algorithm providing the encrypted reference as output.